Arcada Theatre

Here is the letter I wrote to the owner last week...with NO response.  I have omitted personal info.  I definitely think we deserved an apology...
Hi Rich,

You may remember me from the Dennis DeYoung show on Friday night.  

First of all, the show was fantastic and the theater was beautiful.  If it wasn't for your staff treating us like belligerent criminals, we would have had a wonderful night.  

My husband and I actually got a sitter and a night out from the kiddos to celebrate our anniversary.  He surprised me with dinner at Zsa Zsa's and the show.  

When he printed the tickets, part of the info was missing (seat #, row, etc. because we are out of black ink).  The square with the scan design was clearly there, though.   It was an odd color because we were missing the black ink, but clearly there.  My husband hand wrote the info that didn't print on the top of the sheets.  He explained this to the woman checking tickets letting people in.  She then called you over and said, "THESE TICKETS ARE FAKE".  I was embarrassed and humiliated as I KNEW we paid for them!!  Other people near probably heard. We completely understand her needing to double check them, but to accuse us of using fake tickets is inexcusable.  There were 100 different ways she could have been discreet and polite about this.

Unfortunately, we had a mishap which caused us to be late for our dinner reservations.  When our food came, we literally put them in containers without even one bite.   We brought them with us to the show as neither of us thought there would be a problem with putting the closed containers under the seat.  We were going to eat after the show as both of us were hungry and they were each $20 meals!

In the midst of the ticket drama, a girl said I shouldn't bring the containers in.  I honestly didn't listen to her.  After we got through the ticket woman, she came up to me again and said I can't bring them in.  Five seconds later she came running up to tattling like a 4 year old, "I told them 3 times they can't bring that in".  It wasn't three times; it was two.  I then said, "You want them....here you go" and I handed them to her.  I watched her move her hands apart to avoid receiving them and they fell on the floor.  She shrieked, "What are you doing"???  To anyone who didn't see me hand them to her, it appeared I threw food at her and on the floor.  If I wasn't humiliated enough, by the ticket woman, this sure was the final nail in the coffin.  

We are an educated, professional couple who live in ________ and own a house in ______ that we currently rent.  Bob works at ______ during the day and teaches graduate classes in Informatics at _______ in the city.  I am an elementary school teacher.  My husband has long hair and since we were celebrating our anniversary, we had a martini at Zsa Zsa's.  We were SLIGHTLY buzzed.  We both feel that we were treated VERY unfairly as either your staff was judging us as belligerent drunks or perhaps they're just that awful.  WE DID NOTHING WRONG AND DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS.

If it weren't for you, this night would have been completely ruined. Thank you for YOUR kindness.

While the show was wonderful, it got overshadowed by all that happened on the way in.  As I write this, I am upset that I've wasted so much time thinking about this and my time I'm wasting writing this email.

I highly recommend you re-evalute your staff.

Do you love music, I mean REALLY love music? If you do, Arcada Theatre is for you. Located near the heart of St. Charles maybe a block from the Fox River, this old-fashioned theatre is now a hub for classic rock performers of the 70s and 80s. I came here to see former ELP drummer Carl Palmer with his own band. Once inside, the charm of the original theatre was plainly visible. A long lobby leads you past a Starbucks, candy store and a ticket window inside. On the opposite side, there's a vendor table and even an "Italian beef sandwich sliders" cart in case you need a beef before the show.

Inside, the seating is elegant and the walls are ornate. While this is not as pretty as Chicago Theatre, Arcada retains the old theatre aura, right down to the house organ player, who emerges from an enclosure on the floor, seated on a platform with the antique instrument and descends back down as the show is about to begin. He's an older gentleman who probably is almost as old as the theatre itself. The owner, Ron Onesti, introduced him before the show, saying humorously that the organist came with the building.

What I love about this place is the variety of shows booked, from "Jersey Boys" to classic rock cover bands, to older rock or metal bands that can't get into the Ticketmaster venues anymore and rely on outlying clubs or theatres such as this one to have a stage to perform. Tickets are also more affordable than through the TM gauntlet. Ron Onesti has a class operation and is genuinely interested in pleasing his audiences with acts they want to see and has found a niche for acts you can't see anywhere else these days.

The seats are comfortable and the place is well maintained. The bathrooms are small but in good shape despite the age of the building. Having the Starbucks and Chicago Turtle Factory as essentially independent businesses acting as the concessions for this place works out quite well in the end. I found myself going to the candy shop twice and even got some things to bring home after the show.

I look forward to coming back here for "Genesis Revisited" with Steve Hackett in September, or maybe sooner if another great show pops up on the schedule.

**(The following review is not based on the location, or the historic aspect of this venue, or even the acts that come thru themselves).

Facts are facts, people:  WAYYYY OVER-PRICED TICKETS for MOST OF THEIR ACTS.  Also - instances of 'false advertising'.

I can't believe this is seldom mentioned, as I know most people aren't  and cannot be this NAIVE.  I was in a discussion about this on Arcada's facebook page and was appalled at the lack of common sense of some people (which is their right to have, of course).. and as somebody (myself) who KNOWS a lot about venues/ticket values/booking and many of these acts themselves - no to mention common sense - I felt it necessary to state the basics here for you all.

Here are some current and past examples of ticket prices for various acts at the Arcada.  Please also note the fine print of 'starting price.'  ** (Starting price = cheapest seats in the house).  I will also give my opinion when I feel suited.

- Brett Michaels in 2010 - tickets started at $65.   (WAYY overpriced to see Brett Michaels' solo band.  Most people also do not come to see Brett Michaels play his 3-4 solo songs, they come to hear the Poison songs.  I have seen, and you can see 'Poison', usually with 2-3 other good acts, for about $35 to $50.)

- Dennis DeYoung - tickets started at $50.  (This is laughable.  No disrespect to Dennis DeYoung, but you can see him for FREE at various Chicago burbs "summer fest" type of events.  I saw him for free 2 years ago at Arlington Heights Frontiers Days festival.)

- Rick Springfield - tickets started at $59. (see Dennis DeYoung description above. I saw Rick for free at Frontiers Days festival in 2005).

- Quiet Riot in 2011 - tickets started at $39 (QR were great, but this was essentially a tribute band.  A fill-in singer who was fired after about 2 years, Kevin DuBrow had died in 2007.  I saw the classic line-up of QR at Shark City in Bloomingdale about 9 years ago for $10.  Yes - $10.)

- America (this coming October 2013) - tickets starting at $59.  (Again, this is gouging at its best.  America was/is a great band, but I have also seen them for free at several summer festivals.  'America' is not worth $59 for cheapest seats.)

- Bachman-Turner (BTO - coming in July) - tickets starting at $59.  (See 'America' above for the same comments).

- American English - tickets starting price averaged about $35.  (American English is a great Beatle's tribute band - YOU CAN SEE THEM PLAY FOR FREE at about 25 free summer festivals, or various little sports bars/clubs for maybe $5-$8.

- The Buckinghams - tickets starting at $39.  (Again, this is a joke.  Look on the Buckingham's official page, and they play tons of summer fests for free. I have seen them about 8 times for FREE.  They are also not worth a starting price of $39).

Get the drift yet?   EXTREMELY OVER-PRICED.  I can go on and on with examples.

I have seen Paul McCartney for under $50, and Kiss for under $25 at the United Center.  Yes people can argue "different venues", but you all still see my point.

The venue is cool and all, very historic.  And yes I can adhere to the argument about these same bands playing for free at summer fests because they are being paid via other means, and some people want to be at a historic venue and sitting in nice seats in a more intimate setting, etc. But you will STILL completely over-pay to see pretty much whoever you go to see there - facts are facts.

** Also, this venue has 'Queensryche' booked for May 2013.  This is not Queensryche, but "Geoff Tate and 5 other musicians". Tate is not legally able to use the name 'Queensryche' (w/out a reference to his name included - until a court date in November 2013), so this borders on being false advertising - either by Tate or Arcada.  Just so you people know who may have bought expensive tickets thinking you are seeing 'Queensryche.'

(I posted this fact on Arcada's fb page to which it was promptly removed - so much for appreciating public 'input'...cat musta had their tongue).

One last point:  The Onesti's - Ron and Rich - who own or co-own this place - are not customer friendly 'behind the scenes', in my opinion.  This is in obvious contrast to many people's impressions of them just by seeing Ron chit-chat (aka 'do advertising') behind the mic in front of a few hundred people before a gig.  A few years ago in May 2011, I had to email them 6 TIMES for some business-type agenda, and I could NEVER even get a reply out of them.  I had to physically drive to and go into the venue to hunt one of them down for such trivial business, and even then I got the vibe they really could care-less - even the staff in the offices by the concession area were unfriendly when I asked where I could find Ron or Rich.  Just my opinion from what I experienced.  You would think for the prices this place gouges people, they and the other employees would be on their tip-top game with clients and customers.